On Top of Vanzilla
by TheBlueJetpack
Summary: Unable to concentrate on her homework, Luan finds Luna doing something she's never seen her wild sister do before, and the evening quickly becomes a time of bonding for both of them. (2-parter plus a "thoughts on" chapter)
1. Outside

On Top of Vanzilla

 _Takes place after Fool Me Twice, but before Friendzy and Head Poet's Anxiety. As you read, it'll be clear why this timing is important._

Friday nights are always a favourite to many, and for the Loud family, they were no exception. With another busy week finally over and the whole weekend to worry about schoolwork, everyone in the family was enjoying a well-earned rest. Which, as everyone in Royal Woods knew, meant utter chaos within the Loud house property. Oddly enough though, things were a little different tonight. It was significantly quieter than usual due to some of the family members being absent at the same time. For instance, Lisa was playing at Darcy's house. The 4-year old genius had grown very close to her first true friend over the past weeks and had been spending a lot of time with her. The entire family was very pleased with this and proud of her for giving her social status a much-needed boost. Though Lisa had insisted this was all merely a study to analyze the behavior of fellow children outside of her immediate family, her siblings could easily tell that she genuinely enjoyed hanging out with Darcy. Darcy's parents had agreed to bring Lisa home a little later.

Leni was spending her Friday night hanging out with some of her friends at the mall. A new smoothie bar had just opened and Leni was all over it. The group was also planning on catching a late-night movie later, so Leni wouldn't be back for a while.

Lynn had basketball practice at the school. This was normal for her.

The rest of the Louds were sprawled around the house engaged in their various activities. Rita was reading in the bedroom while Lynn Sr. was sorting out his tie collection in their closet (and attempting to hide the gaudier ones from his wife's view as he ordered them neatly). Baby Lily was sitting on her parents' bed watching a video on her little tablet.

In her room, Lori was talking to Bobby over the phone as usual. It was still hard for the young couple to be distantly separated, yet their bonds were strong enough to keep them from falling apart; admittedly, Lori was spending a great deal of time on her phone chatting away with him, though this was pretty much a habit she had with most of her contacts. For the most part, her phone usage was still much the same as before Bobby and his family had moved, if not more.

Lola and Lana were engaged in a match of Scream to the End, a game the twins had made up. Apparently, the objective of the game was to sit facing your opponent and scream at each other at the top of your lungs until one of the players passed out or was dying to use the bathroom. There was no time limit; it went on until a player dropped out. Lola could easily scream the pants off of anyone walking by, but alas, so could her twin sister and the family pageant queen hated to be beaten at anything. The tournament was currently being held in the basement by order of Rita. Even in the Loud house, there were limits as to how much noise they could all make (a whopping $200 fine in the future would later reinforce this rule). The basement was capable of muffing out noise better than the bedroom walls could.

Lincoln and Lucy were writing poetry in the attic, as far away from the twins' yelling as they could. This wasn't exactly Lincoln's idea of spending a Friday night, but he had had an exhausting day at school and henceforth decided to take it easy tonight. Living with 10 sisters had taught him that there was always something new that you can learn from them, especially when they each had such different interests. To be truthful, he was enjoying the slower pace of finding words that rhymed and venting feelings on paper. Of course, he didn't go nearly as deep as Lucy, but he enjoyed spending time with his younger sister. Besides, it was better than being Lynn's sparring partner. And although Lucy didn't say it out loud, she enjoyed hanging out with Lincoln too.

Luna was doing something…rather unusual. Instead of jamming on her beloved Logan V-80 or rocking out to music on her headphones, she was currently sitting on the roof of Vanzilla in the driveway and staring up at the night sky. To you or me, this may not be all that strange. But for the young aspiring rockstar who feasted on the sweet taste of rock and roll jams and got antsy whenever she was away from her music for too long, this was a rare sight to witness. A content sigh escaped her lips as her eyes trailed the stars in the blackened sky. It was a warm evening, with a light breeze brushing softly by. The stars were bright, but the full moon was brighter. To say the least, it was a very perfect night. She could hear muffled shuffling of feet and the faint yelling of the twins from the basement, but it wasn't enough to interrupt this from her.

Luna Loud had had a good day. She had completed a difficult Chemistry test this afternoon and had a relatively good feeling about it…plus it meant one less thing to worry about this weekend. After school, she had discovered one of her friends playing a smart looking keytar in an empty classroom, a talent he had never revealed to have possessed before until she burst in on him with an excited smile and a plea for him to jam with her and her fellow rockers sometime. He said yes.

But there was a greater reason why Luna felt relaxed. After her desperate search for her place in the world and her outstanding performance at the Royal Rumble, she no longer felt worried about her future endeavours of becoming a rockstar and was now at ease, knowing that whatever she ended up doing in life, nothing would ever keep her from loving music and sharing that passion with the world.

At this time, her younger sister, Luan, was in her and Luna's bedroom, struggling through her weekend's worth of high school homework. She had two big birthday parties to entertain at this weekend and wanted to make sure her work was done first. Luan didn't like to do her homework on Fridays, but her grades had been slipping lately due to putting Funny Business before school and felt the need to adjust her priorities a tad bit. She was proud of her little business, both with the laughs it brought to the kids and the extra pocket money it brought to her. The publicity and experience were one step closer to fulfilling her dreams of becoming a professional comedienne. However, her parents had made it clear that she needed to mind her academics too. As much as she felt reluctant to do so, Luan knew they were right and so here she was now.

The real problem was that her math assignments weren't making much sense. She stared at her textbook and then glanced at Mr. Coconuts, who was propped on a chair in the corner staring at her with his wonky eyes. Feeling frustrated with the math and wishing Lisa was there to help, Luan decided to take a break and plopped herself upon the covers of her bed, staring up at the base of Luna's bunk. She listened for the familiar sounds of the Loud house and only just noticed that it was considerably quieter than the usual levels on a Friday night. No exploding chemicals, no footballs thumping against the walls, no music blasting out of amps. Luan frowned. No music? Last she checked, Luna had eaten dinner with the family tonight and hadn't mentioned any plans for going out. Why weren't there mad beats blaring down the halls? Having lived her whole life with Luna, Luan knew that her favourite sister was known across Royal Woods for her music. To not hear any on a Friday night when she knew Luna was home made her suspicious. And since her homework wasn't getting any easier, the comedienne decided to look for her.

She got up and walked to the window thinking that maybe Luna was practicing in the garage. But the garage was dark, though the bright moonlight illuminated its roof. Luan was about to go ask Lori when she spotted something else in the moonlight. There, sitting on the roof of Vanzilla, was the sister she had been looking for. "What's she doing?" Luan asked out loud. She walked downstairs and headed quietly out the back door. As she approached the family van, she saw Luna's purple boots dangling over the side. Her eyes were closed and the breeze was brushing the tips of her short brown hair. Luan couldn't remember the last time Luna had looked so calm. She wasn't even strumming a gentle tune on her acoustic. There was definitely something wrong with this picture.

"Luna?" Luan spoke up. Luna opened her eyes and looked down at her. "Oh, hey dude," she said smiling. Luan had to tilt her head back to look up at her. "What are you doing up there?"

"Not much sis. Just enjoying the view. Listening to the sounds of silence, that's all."

Luan frowned with confusion. "But…why?"

"Why what?"

" _Why_ are you out here and being so quiet? You're Luna Loud! The loudest of the Louds! It's Friday night and you're usually crushing music for the whole neighbourhood to hear. And in one way or another, it always lands you in _treble!_ Get it?" Luan let out her signature laugh, while Luna merely rolled her eyes. "But really, why the sudden interest in being all silent?"

Luna was quiet for a moment and then answered. "Well, I guess I have Lucy to thank for that. I spotted her doing this once some time ago. When I asked the little dudette, she told me all this stuff about listening for the dead and all that bogus. But most of the gist that I picked up was that it calmed her down. Thought I'd give it a try. And the more I did it, the more I liked it. Even someone like me has gotta lay low from time to time don't you think? Just a little while of sweet solitude. I mean, don't get me wrong, music is my life, man. But everyone's got to take some time to reflect. Don't you ever feel the need to take a break from all your comedy biz once in a while?"

Luan was about to say 'no', but then started thinking a little more carefully. Comedy was her pride and joy, and making people laugh was her absolute favourite thing in the world. Truthfully though, she did secretly enjoy a small break from performing on stage or planning elaborate pranks, but she couldn't remember the last time she actually did that. "I guess so," she said feebly.

"See? We all need a break, even from our hobbies. I know that sounds outta whack coming from me, but…" Luna looked up at the stars again. "It's a sky full of stars, dude. And it's beautiful." Missing the song reference, Luan followed Luna's gaze to the black sky. The stars did look kind of pretty. She hadn't really noticed all this time how nice of a view their property had. Life had kind of occupied her from taking in her surroundings. Maybe Luna was on to something. "Can I join you?" she asked.

Luna smiled down at her. "Sure, dude!" She lent a hand down and helped Luan up onto Vanzilla's roof, the latter seating herself next to the former. They sat in silence for a while, gazing up at the sparkling stars and shiny full moon. The neighbourhood was bathed in its white goodness mixed with the soft yellow glow from the windows of various houses all along the street. There didn't seem to be a single car out tonight, allowing the steady sounds of the crickets and the distant noises of the town to be heard. Luan rested herself against Luna's side, settling herself comfortably as she breathed in the fresh night air. "You're right. This is rather nice." Luna draped her arm around her younger sister's shoulders. "Even better when you got someone to share the ride." Luan just smiled.

There's something magical about fresh night air. Not only does it clear your sinuses and can't resist putting your anxieties to ease, but thanks to the peace and solitude, you find that you're able to think much more clearly than in a stuffy house filled with distractions. There was no doubt that the cool, quiet atmosphere was calming Luan, something that wasn't normal for the perky, over-excited girl. There was almost no reason to stay calm when constantly having to stay afloat on the tides of life with 12 other people and numerous pets. Now, she concentrated on the sights and sounds around her and felt herself begin to relax. She liked this feeling. She liked it a lot.

A fleeting thought unexpectantly popped into her mind. "You really stole the show that night at the Royal Rumble. I don't think I really told you that."

Luna looked at her and beamed. "You really think so?"

"I know so! You looked so confident up there in front of everyone. It was like you knew who you wanted to be."

That ironic statement made Luna sigh. "Well, there's a funny story about that, sis. Let me tell you about it." The rocker proceeded to tell her sister all about the events that had led up to her successful performance that memorable night. How she had doubted herself of ever becoming a rockstar, and how she had nearly given up on music altogether just to secure herself a better place in her future. Luan listened to her with wide eyes and felt quite confused. "You were actually going to quit music forever?" Luna nodded. "Yeah dude. I was. It was really hard for me to do that, but it was even harder thinking that continuing to play would lead me to nowhere. But then Chunk helped me figure out that no matter what I end up doing, I'll always be free to do what I love. My axe and I will be shredding forever!" Luna struck a classic rockstar pose, throwing up the goats, tongue, and all. Luan laughed and then took a moment to think about all that Luna had said. "Wow. I had no idea. It kind of reminds me of the time I decided to drop comedy."

Luna smirked. "You mean the time you burned me in the shower?"

Luan blushed, still a little embarrassed about that. "Yeah, that time. But I wanted to give it up because I didn't think I was funny. You were still good at the thing you wanted to drop. Honestly, ever since that day, sometimes I still find myself still doubting whether I'm really all that funny or if I'm just annoying."

Her big sister looked at her, taking a few moments to carefully choose what she would say. "Well, that first part is true. But not the second. You gotta believe me when I tell you that you are funny. And you'll never stop being so. If that stack of cash you make every time you deliver a show at a little dude's birthday bash doesn't say 'success', I don't know what does! And besides, you cheer us up when days are dark and friends are few. Sure, your puns drive us bonkers and your pranks make us suffer endlessly, but…if you didn't do that, you wouldn't be you. The last thing we, especially I, want is for you to change yourself. You're perfect just the way you are, luv."

Luan was taken aback. She hadn't been expecting that sincere speech from Luna. It touched her heart to know that despite all the relentless pranks that she pulled on her, Luna still loved her the way she was nonetheless. Of course, she knew this already, but to hear it spoken out loud felt quite different. She collected herself and responded by wrapping her arms around her older sister. "Thanks, Lunes. That really means a lot. I think you're pretty perfect too."

Luna smiled. She then shifted herself to face Luan better before placing her hands on Luan's shoulders, massaging them gently, but firmly. Luan shivered comfortably as she let the relaxing motions wash over her. It was something Luna occasionally did for her and was exceptionally good at doing; both she and Lincoln could vouch for that. Years of playing guitar had made her fingers extremely strong and flexible.

The girls then heard faint voices from above them and they simultaneously looked up the house towards Lincoln's softly lit window. They could hear Lincoln talking to someone. Luan and Luna shared a knowing look. It was Friday night afterall and they both knew what that meant.

"Sounds like Linc's having his Friday night video chat with Ronnie Anne," Luan gushed, flashing a toothy grin.

Luna grinned too. "Right on the dot. His love is always right on time."

"You think they're doing alright?" Luan quizzed.

"I'd say so. You could tell he was really down for the first few weeks after she left. He's better now, but it's pretty clear he still misses her. I would too if I were in his place." She rolled her palms carefully on Luan's shoulders.

Luan gazed back at Lincoln's window again, feeling pity for her only brother. "It's still kinda sad though. He hasn't had all that much luck with his love life." She removed the scrunchie in her hair, letting her ponytail and the rest of her long hair fall down her back, which the breeze quickly picked up, letting them wisp in the air.

Luna agreed. "Baby bro is growing up. And with it comes all kinds of strange things, especially love. Speaking of love…what about you?"

Luan looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Luna was smirking slightly. "I _mean_ you and Benny, dude. Got any progress to report?"

Luan immediately began to blush. "N-no, not really," she stuttered. "We're still friends, you know? We hang out…we have Drama and English together..."

This made Luna smirk even more. It gave her great satisfaction to watch her adorable little sister so flabbergasted. Light-hearted, good-natured teasing was the norm in the family, but you would obviously never want to be the target being teased.

She nudged her sister playfully. "Aw, come on Lulu, you know you can tell your big sis anything. Have you gotten any closer since you gave him that letter?"

Luan's cheeks were positively burning by this point and admitted defeat to her sister. "Okay, okay…well if you _must_ know…Benny and I have been hanging out a lot lately. I know he got my letter, but…I don't know if he knows it's from me. But ever since that day, he's asked if I want to hang out with him after school and stuff, way more than usual. But it's driving me nuts not knowing if he feels the same way about me as I do to him. I mean, does he suddenly want to spend more time with me because he knows I gave him the letter? Or is this all a huge coincidence and it'll become super weird if I mention the letter to him?"

She felt an odd mixture of emotions as she poured out her inner feelings to Luna. Benny had been the object of her affection for quite some time. He was one of the few people who genuinely laughed at and liked her jokes, and even cracked some of his own occasionally. Thanks to frequent rehearsals for school plays and forming study groups together, her little crush on him had had plenty of time to develop into stronger feelings.

Luna however listened to her and nodded slowly. Though she had never met Benny before, she had glimpsed him and Luan talking in the hallways of the high school once or twice, and it looked like they were pretty happy. Not many people outside the family could tolerate Luan's obsession for quick quips and wise cracks for long, so if this boy was everything Luan had told her about over the past months, he sounded like a suitable fit for her comedienne sister.

"Well, dude…I guess the best thing for you to do would be to just enjoy rockin' with Benny. You _do_ have a rad time with him whenever you hang, right?" Luan nodded, her blush slowly dissipating. "Then I'd say don't worry. You're happy and he's happy. Maybe this is his way of letting you know how he feels. But I'd say cherish the moments together. Then, maybe later when the time's right, you can ask him if you really want to."

Luan processed what Luna had said and smiled. "Thanks Luna. I could try that. I guess I should consider myself lucky…at least he's not _avoiding_ me."

Luna smiled too. "Exactly, dude. Every little thing is gonna be alright."

Feeling a little better, Luan decided to turn the tables. "So how about you and Sam? What did he think about your letter?"

Now it was Luna's turn to blush. Her whole body tensed, but for a different reason. There was a big difference between her love life and Luan's. She had not yet told anyone in her family that Sam was not a dude, but a dudette. Nor did they know that she was into girls in that way, for this was a secret she had held onto for a long time. Was this the right moment to tell Luan? Out of all her sisters, Luan was the one that she held her closest ties with. Though she could be mouthy and obnoxious, she was serious when it mattered and Luna knew she could trust her to keep a secret. Should she tell her now? Out under the stars in the quiet night with no one around to eavesdrop?

 _No. Not yet,_ she thought. Luna had already vowed that one day she would confide to her family about this, but she wanted more time to prepare what she would say. Right now, she would choose her words carefully and hope that Luan wouldn't press too deeply with the questions.

"Sam…seemed to like it. I'm just glad I had the confidence to finally deliver it."

Luan nodded, hoping for more. "But did he find out it was from you?"

Luna tensed again when she said 'he' …that just didn't settle right with her guts, but she had to keep playing along if she was going to postpone revealing her secret.

"I don't know, dude. But we've been jamming together after school, and hangin'. Just making music and having fun. Though I think Sam might be trying to figure out who sent the letter."

Luan couldn't help but let out a fangirl-like squeal. "Well, you should remain super secret and let him figure it out on his own! Give him the element of surprise when he finds out. That always works in comedy! And then you should say 'Congratulations! Now here's your reward!' WHAM! Pie in the face! Hahaha!"

Luna let out a small groan at this terrible idea as Luan held her sides laughing. "Oh, come on, you know I was kidding about the pie! But seriously Luna, I think you should wait for him to find out it's you this whole time."

Luna, sensing that this was a good place to end the conversation on this topic before Luan started digging for more information, put her arms around her sister, bringing them into a side hug. "Thanks, sis."

 _ **End of Part 1.**_

 _ **A/N: I feel like this is a good place to break; Part 2 will be uploaded soon. But in the meantime, feedback is always welcome. Bye bye!**_


	2. Inside

Luna and Luan sat out on top of Vanzilla for a little longer under the stars, enjoying each other's company. They watched as Lisa was dropped off by Darcy's parents, followed shortly by Leni and Lynn who had both gotten rides from their respective friends. The three Loud kids entered the house, not noticing their sisters propped up on the family van's roof. Eventually though, the two of them decided that they better go back inside to get some sleep as it was getting late, and Luan had those birthday parties to tend to tomorrow. They slid down to the ground and made their way back inside the stuffy interior of the Loud house. Most of their younger siblings were already fast asleep, while Lori and Leni were quietly in their room. Luna headed off to the family's sole bathroom to grab a shower before bed. Deciding that she still had Sunday to complete her homework, Luan got ready for bed too. She changed into her pajamas and then sat on her bed, stroking Cliff, who had decided to visit this room for the night.

For some reason, her mind began to wander back… _way_ back to her memories with Luna. They had been through a lot together growing up. They were extremely close and told each other everything. Problems they faced, emotions they felt, tons of girly giggles, and so much more. As kids, they were inseparable. As teens, though their interests had sprouted in different directions, they still held loyalty for each other with an iron fist. Luna wasn't really the type to appreciate the art of comedy as much as Luan did, but Luan would be lying if she didn't admit that despite this, Luna had always supported her during her time at clown school and building her way up in the entertainment sector, helping her in any way she could. She would listen to Luan as she rehearsed her acts and practiced new puns, offering pointers and constructive criticism. Equally, Luan didn't care all that much for rock and roll, but she did enjoy listening to Luna's music whenever she wanted an audience for a new song. As was the case with all the Louds, their hobbies did not fall short of getting on each other's nerves. Luna's rock-and-roll could give anyone a splitting headache. Luan's pranks tended to cross the line. But that didn't stop the two young artists from doing what they loved and looking out for each other all the same. Luan loved all her sisters and her brother dearly, but she definitely held a special connection with Luna. When it came down to it, Luna meant a lot to her and Luan couldn't imagine life without her big sister.

Luna stepped into their room, squeaky clean and in her pajamas, her regular attire folded up in her arms. Luan looked up at her.

"Luna? Could we…could we maybe do that again? Go outside at night?" she asked hesitantly. She felt a little silly asking this, like she was a child asking for another ride on the swing set.

Luna smiled warmly at her. "You liked that huh? It's not so bad, spending some time outdoors?"

"Yeah, I was on Cloud 9 the whole time!" Luan laughed while Luna groaned. "But it's not just that," Luan continued in a more serious tone. "We haven't really hung out lately like we used to. Just the two of us and…I kinda miss that."

Luna had to think for a moment before realizing her sister was right. They used to play together all the time in the past, but she couldn't recall the last time she had spent some quality time with just Luan alone…before tonight that is.

"Gee sis, I guess you're right. We really should chill more often."

Luan already had an answer to that. "How would you like to come with me to a couple of birthday parties tomorrow? You can play music while I perform my routine."

The rocker considered this offer. Birthday music wasn't her first musical choice, but she had been to enough parties and hang outs to know that music was a staple to bringing the fun out of anyone, young or old. Surely it would add a unique flare to Luan's performances and it would give the two of them the chance to do something they both loved together. Plus, if Luan got this much recognition with her business, this could be another step in boosting her own numbers.

"Sure dude, I'd love to do that! Just let me find some birthday tunes and I'm ready to roll."

Luan beamed and wrapped her arms around Luna, embracing her tightly. The older girl felt her heart melt as she returned the hug. Just as it had been the first in a very long time that they had hung out together, this was the first hug that they had shared in quite a while too.

Both girls suddenly found herself looking forward to tomorrow.

After that, Luna went downstairs to the kitchen to get a drink of water before bed. She placed her empty glass in the sink while pondering what songs she could use tomorrow to aid Luan's acts. It suddenly dawned on her that Luan hadn't told a single pun while they sitting outside together. The fresh air must really have had an effect on her. _I should take her out there more often,_ she thought.

"Hey Luna."

The rocker girl jumped as she spun around to see her little sister Lucy, standing in the kitchen doorway clutching her poetry book, looking like a ghost in her white night shirt.

"Lucy! Didn't see you there, dude!" she replied after getting over her little shock.

"Sigh. Don't worry. I'm used to it." Lucy didn't sound offended or disheartened (or at least no more than she normally did), but Luna sympathized with her nonetheless. Ever since the 8-year-old had attempted to cast spells on her siblings in retaliation for stepping over her, Luna had made a bigger effort to look out for her. Not out of fear, but out of love, as she should have in the first place.

"Sorry Luce, I didn't mean it in that way. You just startled me, that's all."

"It seems to be what I'm good at." Luna could detect a hint of pride in Lucy's voice. "I saw you and Luan outside," she suddenly stated.

Luna smiled. "Oh yeah, we were just chillin' with the moon and stars. But I wouldn't have been out there tonight if you hadn't told me about how nice it really was.

The raven-black haired girl nodded. "I know. The undead always have secrets to reveal when the moon is full."

"No dude, I mean it was nice because it was so…quiet. It was soothing and calmed us down. Gave us time to talk with each other."

"Oh. Yeah, well I guess there is that. Fresh air has a habit of settling the restless mind." With Lucy being a poet and…well… _Lucy_ , Luna didn't find herself surprised her little sister could pull that out at her young age.

"Did Luan like it too?" the she continued.

"She sure did. She even asked if we could go out and do it again."

Lucy was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "What do you think Luan's going to do to us next year?"

Knowing that she was referring to next April 1st to be precise, Luna shrugged. "I dunno dude. She's pretty cunning. Pranking someone from behind is her specialty."

"This year's prank was so harsh. This is the only time I hate being left in the dark not knowing what's coming for us."

Luna heartily agreed. Luckily, Sam and her fellow band mates had believed and forgiven her after that embarrassing day involving a Luna Loud look-a-like and a delivery of terrible polka. Much was the case with the rest of the family, their friends had forgiven them and forgotten the incident. But in the Loud house, Luan always needed to be monitored at that time of year, or avoided. Usually the latter was the better option.

"I don't like it either, dude. But as much as Luan is to blame each year, I can't really blame her. It's just her personality. It's what makes her unique. And besides, she's family and we Louds always stick together, no matter how much we mess each other up."

Lucy stared up at Luna without a word for what seemed like a long time before her lips curved into a tiny, yet noticeable smile. "I guess you're right. She's just being Luan. It's no wonder you're her favourite."

Luna smiled too as she tousled the young goth's hair. "Don't worry Luce. No matter what prank she pulls on us next year, we'll just do what we always do. Put up with it for the day and then forget about it in less than a week. And the best part is that we'll suffer through it together." She chuckled as she said that, actually initiating a small laugh from Lucy too.

Without further ado, she wrapped her arm around little Lucy's shoulders as she led her up the stairs. By the lack of noise in the dark hallway, it would seem that they were the last ones to go to bed that night. After bidding Lucy good night, Luna entered her room. Their bedside lamp was on, filling the room with a soft yellow glow, but Luan was fast asleep in her bunk, her hair all over the place. The rocker became amused at the sight of her sleeping sister. Tiptoeing up to her, a different image surfaced into Luna's mind as she gazed at Luan. It wasn't the 14-year-old sleeping before her, but instead a much younger girl. The little girl whom she would let sleep with her when thunderstorms broke at night. The girl whose hand she had held in the orthodontist's office while the former had her braces put in for the first time. And the girl who had stayed by her bedside trying to cheer Luna up with jokes when the latter had broken her collarbone on her bike. A little trip down memory lane proved full out that Luan and Luna had held each other's backs for many years and Luna didn't think that would ever cease, nor did she want it to.

Luan was more than Luna's sister. She was her best friend.

Luna thought back to her conversation with Luan and her previous discussion with Lucy as she slowly pieced together a full revelation. No matter how obnoxious Luan was with her comedic stunts, or how much the rocker gritted her teeth and vowed revenge on her for pushing the limit with her pranking, Luna simply could not find it in her heart to ever hate Luan. She was just being Luan, her silly little sister, and she wouldn't trade her for anyone in the world. In fact, they were all like that. Each and every one of the Louds had his or her own _thing_ that made them special and out of the ordinary. It was what gave her family that awesome touch and made Luna proud to be a Loud.

 _Where's the fun of being normal anywhere?_ She thought to herself.

She slowly ran a hand upon Luan's cheek, caressing it gently and listening to her steady breathing. "I love you Lulu. See you in the morning," she murmured softly as she turned the lamp off. She climbed up to her bunk and settled comfortably under the covers, exhaustion suddenly taking over. As she slowly began to nod off to dreamland, her last thoughts were that she swore she heard a soft voice break the silence of the darkened room.

"I love you too, Lunes."

 **The end**


	3. THOUGHTS ON

The story is over! I'll tell you right now that I had so much fun writing it and seeing all my ideas come together as one. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! Constructive feedback is what helps me expand on what I do well and improve on what needs work. And now I want to share some thoughts on both this fic and the show overall. For what it is, it's just a sweet fic. Not much happens, no major conflict, just some bonding time with 2 of the Loud sisters. If you want to read my thoughts on this, then read on. If not, then feel free to leave a review and be on your merry way!

I had recently discovered _The Loud House_ late this past summer, and boy oh boy did it skyrocket from there. I love the whole concept of this big family having to deal with the daily challenges of living with each other, yet at the same time, they express their love and protective instincts toward one another. It's both hilarious and heartwarming, and that's just so great. While this show was clearly made to appeal to the comedic side of the audience, there are definitely strong tones of compassion, family bonding, and heart weaved intricately into the humour in many ways. The set-up has so much story potential to grab and play with at every corner and angle you look with this, and it's awesome to see the writers having so much fun doing it.

The show started out simple: the majority of the original episodes were mainly about Lincoln dealing with his rowdy sisters while trying to find ways to improve his (and their) living conditions. This feels very much like a basic template which I'm not doubting was the basis of the show's design. But I really love how the spotlight soon spawned over to the girls as the show progressed, whether it be featuring Lincoln's interactions with one or more of his sisters, or entirely on one sister in particular. With so many characters with distinct personalities, there is so much that can be explored in each individual. Each character has had at least two episodes all to themselves so far, strengthening their personalities and giving them some backstory and fresh colour that make them relatable to the audience.

Since we're talking about characters, I'll tell you my favourite one now, and that's Luna Loud. I don't think I'm wrong when I say that Luna has become a fan-favourite among many. She's had some awesome screen time, has a voice and dialogue that's so much fun to listen to, and her overall character traits make her stand out of the crowd the most to me. Not to mention that the all the songs she's sung are just so catchy. Personality-wise, she seems to be a blend between Lori and Leni, being level headed and mature enough to make decisions for herself and is a kind, compassionate sister to the rest of the gang. Yet, at the same time, Luna is neither of the two: she isn't super strict and impatient like Lori, nor is she oblivious to her surroundings like Leni. Sure, Luna's done some dumb and selfish things in several episodes before (haven't they all by now?), but she has more than proven herself countless times to be responsible with her family and herself in both obvious and subtle ways.

I've seen many fans view Luna as one of the wisest Louds and a motherly figure to the younger siblings, and I wholeheartedly agree. Though never stated explicitly, it's pretty clear just through observation that Luna is fully capable of keeping everyone in line. And to top it off, she's received her own backstory, and a handful of episodes revealing more about her true personality. There's something really clever going on here with Luna and it's very obvious that the writers are putting a lot of effort in working with her. _Roadie to Nowhere_ was a very practical episode that Luna fit in with so well. Feeling unsure about your future endeavours is a very real thing in life, especially when pursuing music. The unexpected twist in featuring Luna as a key player in _L is for Love_ was also a big surprise. I really like this characterization and am excited to see more in her starring episodes later this season.

Now, Luan is another Loud sister I want to bring up. She's a bit of a different case. She's been portrayed as more of an antagonist in the show, frequently enough to the point where it's a bit too overbearing. And while I get that it's part of her character design as the primary way to define her in the show, I have trouble grasping that and can't find all that I like about her. I really want to like Luan, but at the same time, can't help but dislike her for treating her own family just a little too harshly. It's very clear that she loves them, but that can become extremely questionable in most of her featured episodes. Almost every "Luan" episode (or episode that features her with a major role) depicts her as the person to avoid. When the character's defining trait is that she becomes an out-of-control maniac for laughs at the expense of everyone else who hides from her in literal fear, there's not all that much to find relatable about said character, and even less to write a cohesive story about. I find it so hard to take her seriously, since she almost always has no interest in taking things seriously and her dialogue just leads straight to a pun.

However, I have seen some improvements in this aspect in episodes like _Head Poet's Anxiety_ and _Sitting Bull_. The former was a very heartwarming episode featuring Luan and Lucy, a pair of characters that you wouldn't expect to see interacting together as a first choice, especially for an entire episode, which I really loved. It showed a caring side to Luan, along with some much-needed character developments that I hadn't really seen prior. _Sitting Bull_ showed me that as immature as she may be, Luan is still considered one of the older sisters (at least in Lincoln's circles, since the show is mostly centred on him) and shows her taking on some responsibilities and cooperating with her fellow older sisters. I like this contrast and hope to see more of Luan and her interactions with one or more of the other characters. It's these kinds of episodes that finally allow me to find some strings to connect Luan with, not just as someone who's there in the show as a comic relief tool. And that's just the problem. Prior to these episodes, she felt more like a tool used to add a spot of dry humour, instead of a character who was supposed to be a part of the story. She _is_ one of the 10 sisters afterall. But I in no way view Luan as an "evil sister", just less of a favourite compared to the others. In conclusion, I don't want to see Luan quit out her comedy; I've never wanted that because that's just who she is and what she likes doing best ( _No Laughing Matter_ already touched on this well). But I do want to see some more insight on her in the future to provide us with the character depth that I feel she's lacking.

Speaking of tools, if Luan is a tool, then Lisa is an even bigger tool. For the longest time, Lisa just seemed to be there to solve a technological problem for her siblings and didn't do much else. It was even harder for me to reach out to this character and it wasn't until episodes like _The Mad Scientist_ or even _Mall of Duty_ that I finally could spot some connecting ties that she had with her own family, feeling more like a person in the show, and not just a tool used to speed up the story. I feel that there is much more that can be done with Lisa and, much like Luan, I hope to see a little more about her in future episodes.

On the contrary, Lucy is a sister whom I think has been handled wonderfully. If you told me that The Loud House featured a miserable, pessimistic character, I would have immediately imagined her as Misery from _Ruby Gloom_ , or Mandy from _Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy_. Someone who was just there to offer negative thoughts and nothing more. The creators could have made Lucy a completely cynical, stone-cold girl, but instead gave her a handful of episodes revealing plenty of hidden character traits under that cold exterior. I praise the direction they took with this in the same way they did with Lola. She's described as the bratty, spoiled princess of the family and could have easily been the show's major antagonist. But it's been shown very clearly that while selfish and snooty, she has a big heart and possesses morals like anyone. There are a number of episodes that make Lola stand out to me as a very caring and loving child despite her flaws, which is why I do rank her slightly higher than Luan in terms of favourites.

Let's get back to Luna. Why do I bother with bringing up Luan if I like Luna so much? Maybe it's the fact that they are so far the only pair of roommate sisters who haven't had a single episode focusing on them and their relationship with each other (though the same could be said about Lisa and Lily, but with Lily being the baby of the group and basically serves as a tool, I don't see all that much that can be explored here).

Both teen girls have interests in pursuing careers in the arts and are only separated by a year in age. Not to mention that purple and yellow are complimentary colours.

There is plenty of story potential that can be uncovered with Luna and Luan. How does Luna put up with sleeping in the same room with the family prankster? How does Luan tolerate the rocker's exploits in jamming each night? Who knows? It's never explained and just really makes me want to see these answers and more written into an episode. We've well established Lincoln's relationship with each of them, but what about them together? There are several times in the show's run that proves that these two sisters can work fabulously as a team, but most of these instances are minor and end up being pushed to the back when their more major scenes are brought up, which mostly depict them _fighting_ with each other. Luna and Luan's direct relationship with each other one-on-one is something that I desire to see take centre stage and have its time to shine. In terms of fanfiction, I haven't seen many well-written pieces that cover this. Hence forth, I wrote a simple one of my own to tie some loose ends and bring the characters of _The Loud House_ that I want to see together the most. As for a wrap-up on my thoughts on _The Loud House_ , I love the show and am very eager to see what happens in the rest of Season 3 and the upcoming fourth.

I hope you enjoyed this story and my "thoughts on" chapter. Of course, these are all just my personal thoughts; I'm interested in hearing yours! If you made it this far from beginning to end, thank you all so much for taking the time to read my material! It means a lot. Until next time, take it easy out there, folks.

 _ **And as a little bonus for the more dedicated fans, I slipped in several song references in Luna's dialogue. I wonder if you caught them all.**_


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